While dwarfed by the relative size of the bourbon and Canadian
whisky markets, Scotch remains one of the identifiable standard bearers
of the urbane consumer. Its cache of quality, breadth of expression and
dynamic range of flavor has made Scotch a global heavyweight.

A closer look at the numbers reveals some interesting trends.
According to the latest statistics in the just-released Handbook Advance
2012, published by the Beverage Information Group, the Scotch market
dipped 1.4% to 8.47 million cases in 2011, roughly half the depletions
of bourbon and Canadian during the same period. While the overall Scotch
category shrank marginally, the sales of single malts grew last year a
robust 8.4%. Value brands of Scotch--both domestic or
imported--continued to lose ground.

Even though Scotch is not the largest of the whiskey markets, the
category still manages to carry more gravitas than other whiskeys.
Single malts have been offering more expressions, superb marketing and
packaging and a strong academic/educational bent. Collectively,
they're positioned in a sophisticated, upscale way, lending an
importance and weight that's disproportionate to case sales. And,
despite the difficult economy of the last several years, Scotch
distillers have been anything but complacent. To the contrary, they have
been working to raise the bar and improve on what they've offered
in the past. And great examples of this quest can be found throughout
the often overlooked and unheralded category of blended Scotch.

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Blended Gems

By their very nature, these blended Scotch whiskies are artistic
endeavors, the combination of dozens of spirits varying in ages and
compositions, produced at a number of distilleries.

For retailers, selling these products requires focusing their
efforts on educating consumers. Handselling and personal recommendations
can be immensely helpful when it comes to selling Scotch. As such, the
retail trade is the single most important entity in the education of
consumers. Retailers and their staff are perceived as experts and the
more knowledge they can impart to the consumer, the more they will enjoy
and experiment within the category.

These are certainly the best of times for devotees of exceptional
Scotch. The biggest names in blended Scotch have extraordinary line
extensions. Here is a brief list (not comprehensive) of some blends with
their characteristics that you can use to help educate consumers.

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* BALLANTINE'S--One of the world's most famous and
successful brands of blended Scotch. The brand's 30-Year Whisky is
highly aromatic with a light silky body and a complex palate featuring
sherry, honey and a hint of peat.

* CHIVAS CENTURY OF MALTS--It combines 100 distinctive single malt
whiskies produced from distilleries in every appellation throughout
Scotland. The result is a complex, medium-bodied blend with a wonderful
array of flavors.

* CHIVAS REGAL 18-YEAR-OLD--The 18-year-old Chivas Regal is a
melding of the 12-year-old Chivas Regal blend (with its character and
intricate flavors) and the finesse and elegance of the 21-year-old Royal
Salute. Smokier than the Chivas 12-year-old, the 18-year-old features a
lush, full body and a complex ensemble of flavors with a long finish.

* CHIVAS REGAL GOLD SIGNATURE--Comprised of more than 40 whiskies,
all of which were barrel-aged at least 18 years. A special reserve blend
that is aromatic and accessible.

* CHIVES REGAL ROYAL SALUTE--Royal Salute was released in 1953 to
commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth (though it was introduced
in 1891 by James Chivas). The youngest whisky used in its blend is
21-years-old.

* COMPASS BOX WHISKY--Compass Box produces a full range of blended
Scotches including Compass Box Hedonism, a 100% grain whisky aged
between 12 and 23 years in American oak. The firm also produces Compass
Box Peat Monster, a blend of super-peaty Islay single malts, a peated
Speyside single malt and a malt matured in French oak from the northern
Highlands.

* DEWAR'S 12-YEARS OLD SPECIAL RESERVE--Dewar's Special
Reserve is a blend of individually aged 12-year old single malt whiskies
from the different regions of Scotland. The core of its blend includes
the renowned malts of Dewar's Highland distilleries, notably
Aberfeldy (Speyside), Lochnagar (Highlands), Benrinnes (Speyside),
Pulteney (Highlands), Aultmore (Speyside), Royal BrackJa (Highlands),
Craigellachie (Speyside) and Glen Ord (Highlands). After blending, the
whisky is further matured in oak barrels to allow the blend to
"marry."

* J & B ULTIMA--Superpremium Ultima, by Justerini & Brooks,
is a blend comprised of 128 Scotch whiskies; 116 of them are single
malts, with more than a quarter coming from rare, vintage reserves of
distilleries no longer in operation. The constituent whiskies range in
age from 8 to 20 years. Ultima has a soft, sweet bouquet, a smooth,
medium body with mild undertones of peat, and a clean, lingering finish.

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* JOHNNIE WALKER DOUBLE BLACK LABEL--Launched in October 2011,
Double Black is a heftier, bolder variation on classic Black Label. It
features peatier malts and whiskies aged in deeply charred oak. The
result is something akin to an Islay malt, only the peat smoke is
slightly more subdued than most malts from the island. The nose is peaty
with oak and spice notes and the palate features loads of fruit, vanilla
and toasted oak.

* JOHNNIE WALKER BLUE LABEL--Considered the flagship of the Johnnie
Walker line, Blue Label is blended around a core of Cardhu single malt
whiskies, some having been aged in sherry oak for up to 60-years. It has
a reserved, yet elegant nose, warming and decidedly complex. Its palate
has layers of delectable flavors, including oak, vanilla, peat, and
luscious fruit that taper off seamlessly into a wholly satisfying
finish.

* Johnnie Walker Gold Label--This blend is made according to a 1920
recipe created for the company's 100th anniversary. It contains
fifteen different 18-year-old single malt whiskies. Johnnie Walker Gold
Label has a malty, slightly fruity nose, a medium body and is flawlessly
textured and balanced. It has a waves a savory flavors, most notably
fruit, oak, pepper, grain, and peaty smoke. The whisky finishes long and
slightly sweet.

* Johnnie Walker Green Label--The mini mum age of the malts in this
blend is 15 years. It features a lush palate and Highland flavors along
with hints of Island malts.

Single malts have a loyal consumer base, one that is particularly
well heeled and diversified in age. The category's strength
continues to be with men in the 40- to 50-year-old demographic. More
often than not, these consumers purchase based on a recommendation from
retailers or through their own discovery and research.

This past year or so has featured the release of new and
tremendously exciting malts, each nudging the envelope and expanding the
horizon. So discard the notion of "best" as outdated and
overtly subjective. Instead, line your shelves with genuinely intriguing
whiskies.

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Distillers are passionate about what they do and it is helpful to
try to impart the romance and passion behind a brand. Sharing insider
information with a whisky aficionado is an irresistible hook, instilling
the person with a sense of ownership in the brand that won't soon
be forgotten.

Stocking a limited selection requires considerably more thought to
ensure that you market a balanced offering, one that best represents the
varieties of styles of each Scotch-producing region. Again, what follows
is a selective look at this vibrant segment.

The Highlands

Located in the northern part of Scotland, the Highlands is the
largest Scotch-producing region and the home to a majority or the
country's distilleries. The region's peat-laced waters and
cool, moisture-laded air is perfectly suited for making classic malts.
The heartland of the region is the Speyside. Its malts are known for
their sophistication, elegance and complexity7, the most famous of which
are The Glenlivet and Glenfiddich.

The Glenlivet range recently expanded with the release of The
Glenlivet Nadurra, a single malt aged for 16 years in ex-bourbon
American oak casks and bottled at cask strength (57.2% alcohol). The
Glenlivet range also includes category leader The Glenlivet 12-year-old,
18-year-old, 12-year-old French Oak Finish, Archive (21-year-old), and
Cellar Collection vintages 1983, 1959 and 1967.

The Glenlivet 15-Year-Old French Oak RESERVE is aged in American
ex-bourbon barrels, after which a portion is matured farther in new,
Limousin oak barrels. Famous for use in aging cognacs, Limousine oak is
an extremely fast-growing tree, resulting in the widest grain pattern of
the species. Its loose pores allow a spirit to extract more flavo-rants
from the wood. While still representative of the Glenlivet style, the
French oak finish adds some welcome spice.

Another lord of the Speyside is Glenfiddich, the bestselling single
malt Scotch whisky in the world. The distillery's range of single
malts took another leap forward with the release of Glenfiddich Cask of
Dreams. Launched in conjunction with their 125th anniversary, the whisky
pays homage to the legacy of Glenfiddich founder William Grant who in
1887 pinned all his hopes on a dream to create "the best dram in
the valley."

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The Cask of Dreams is a special marriage of Glenfiddich whiskies
taken from a hand-picked selection of American oak casks holding matured
whiskies of a variety of ages, with the youngest at 14 Years Old. This
whisky was then decanted into the 11 inscribed casks and left to finish
in the virgin American oak to bring an intense and powerful vanilla
sweetness. The casks were closely monitored to ensure a desirable
balance of the oak's vanilla and spice with fruity, floral aromas,
with Kinsman finding perfect balance after 3 months of finishing and at
a high strength of 48.8% ABV

GLENFIDDICH SOLERA RESERVE SINGLE MALT is aged 15-years by a system
modeled after Spanish Soleras. Three different types of wood are used in
production--used bourbon barrels, sherry butts and new oak casks. The
whiskies are then aged in Solera vats with the core age being a minimum
of 15 years. Solera aging creates a malt that drinks much older than its
years.

The Speyside district of the Scottish Highlands is also the home of
the Balvenie Distillery. The Balvenie range is a compilation of five
artisan expressions. Their flagship is the BALVENIE PORTWOOD 21-YEAR-OLD
SINGLE MALT, a whisky double barreled, first in traditional oak and then
30-year-old, oak port pipes. The wine influences every aspect of the
whisky.

The Balvenie distillery also has a series of cask strength
expressions that includes THE BALVENIE CARIBBEAN CASK, a 14 years old
malt finished in Caribbean rums barrels; THE BALVENIE MADEIRA CASK, a 17
years old malt finished in Madeira barrels, THE BALVENIE SHERRY CASK, a
17 years old malt finished exclusively in Oloroso Sherry oak barrels and
THE BALVENIE VINTAGE 1975 CASK.

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THE MACALLAN well deserves its lofty reputation among whisky
aficionados. The distillery has the deepest whisky reserves in all of
Scotland and a colossal range that includes 33 distinctive bottlings and
vintages. Their famed sherry oak single malts are bottled at 10 years,
10 years at cask strength, 12 years, 18 years and 25 years. One of its
latest is THE MACALLAN CASK STRENGTH SINGLE MALT HIGHLAND SCOTCH, a
full-bodied malt bottled at a mouth-tingling 116.4 proof. A splash of
spring water brings out waves of fruity, smoky flavors.

Another addition to their already prestigious repertoire is an
innovative series called THE MACALLAN FINE OAK, whiskeys made from a
decidedly lighter blend of malts. The Macallan house style is easily
discernable, a result of introducing American oak whiskies to the mix.
The Fine Oak Macallan is bottled at 12-years, 15-years and 21-years.

The malts of Aberlour have made it a franchise in the Speyside
since 1826. New to their portfolio is ABERLOUR HIGHLAND 12 YEAR OLD NON
CHILL-FILTERED SINGLE MALT. This expression is non chill-filtered to
ensure that the hill flavor of the malt is preserved, giving the
mouth-feel increased body and a rich texture, while retaining the
distinctive characteristics of Aberlour, derived from its double
maturation in rare sherry butts and bourbon casks. The malt is a
balanced offering with warm notes of fruit and spice, bottled at 48%
AEV.

The distillery also features ABERLOUR A'BUNADH SINGLE SPEYSIDE
MALT, a luxurious whisky bottled unfiltered, undiluted and at cask
strength; our tasting sample was 59.6% alcohol by volume. It has an
expansive nose and a hill creamy palate.

A fixture in the Highlands since 1843, The Glenmorangie Distillery
produces nothing but single malt whisky. The distillery markets
bottlings of 10-years, 15-years, 18-years and 21-years, which is
appropriately named THE GLENMORANGIE ELEGANCE.

Of equal stature is the distillery's incomparable stable of
wood finished malts. The first of these 12-year-old malts introduced
were THE GLENMORANGIE PORT WOOD FINISH, MALMSEY MADEIRA WOOD FINISH and
OLOROSO SHERRY WOOD FINISH. They were followed by THE GLENMORANGIE
GROWTH CLARET WOOD FINISH, which is finished in Bordeaux first growth
chateaux barrels; COTE DE NUTTS WOOD FINISH, a 1975 vintage malt
finished in Cote de Nuits burgundy barrels, Fino Sherry Wood Finish,
finished in Fino Sherry butts, and the latest entry, THE GLENMORANGIE
BURGUNDY WOOD FINISH.

Tucked away by the banks of the River Alness in the Northern
Highlands, The Dalmore Distillery is one of the category's
best-kept secrets. Imported by Jim Beam Brands, The Dalmore range of
single malts includes the 12-year-old and 21-year-old, both of which are
remarkable values. New to the range is THE DALMORE CASTLE LEOD, the
second in a series of limited edition bottling crafted by master
distiller Richard Patterson. This classic vintage 1995 malt was matured
initially in American white oak and Spanish sherry wood before being
transferred for the final 18 months to barriques from a legendary 1st
era classe Bordeaux chateau.

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Recently released THE DALMORE AURORA is an elegant, 45-year old
expression casked in February 1964 hand-selected from the House of
Gonzalez Byass. The malt is brimming with the aromas of blood oranges,
apples, jasmine and pear. The limited edition includes 200 mouth-blown
crystal decanters. THE DALMORE CLGAR MALT, an award-winning spirit with
more sherry character than can be found in their other single malts. The
additional dose of sherry adds to the whisky's already full body.

THE GLENROTHES SPEYSTDE SINGLE MALT are rare vintage-dated malts
embodying the nobility long associated with the Speyside. Almost 90% of
the whisky's constituent elements were aged no less than 15-years
in American oak bourbon barrels, the rest having been aged in sherry
wood.

The recent vintage release--THE GLENROTHES 1994 SPEYSTDE SINGLE
MALT SCOTCH WHISKY--is a light festive offering. It's a rare
vintage-dated malt embodying the nobility of Speyside. The 86-proof
whisky has a zesty orange and lemon bouquet and lively notes of raisins,
toffee and coconut and a full rich palate of fruit, toasted malt and
dark chocolate.

Located in Perthshire and built in 1898, Aberfeldy is the Dewar
family's original distillery and its malts are at the heart of the
famed Dewar's blend. The firm also bottles several single malt
expressions. The ABERFELDY 12-YEAR OLD SINGLE MALT WHISKY best
represents the heather honey sweetness that has become the house style.
Contributing greatly to the malt silky smooth character is the fresh
spring water of the Pitilie burn used in production.

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The Glenfarclas Distillery is among the last of the privately owned
distilleries. The distillery ages most its highly sought-after whiskies
in Oloroso sherry-casks. Their line of malt whiskies also includes the
Glenfarclas 17-year, 21-year and 25-year-old single malts. The most
singular expression of the range is the 10-year-old GLENFARCLAS CASK
105, which the distillery has produced since the 1950s. Bottled at
120-proof, it is the strongest single malt issued by any Scotch
distillery.

Regional Malts

The malts made in the Lowlands of Scotland are often overshadowed
by those produces in the Highlands. It's an unfortunate oversight
because the Lowland malts are delectably soft, light and fruity. Today,
Auchentoshan is one of only three distilleries still operating in the
Lowlands and the only distillery in Scotland dedicated to triple
distillation. Their portfolio includes Auchentoshan Classic 12 Year Old,
18 Year Old and the limited release 21 Year Old, in addition to select
vintage, limited edition releases.

New to their range is AUCHENTOSHAN 1999 VINTAGE BORDEAUX WINK
MATURED. This limited edition release is 100% wine cask matured. Bottled
in 2011, it is presented at cask strength (58% alcohol by volume) and
non-chill filtered. A mere 300 bottles of the Auchentoshan 1999 Vintage
Bordeaux Cask Matured are available for die U.S. Also released in 2011
was AUCHENTOSHAN VALINCH. The malt is non-chill filtered and bottled at
cask strength (57.5% alcohol by volume), bringing the drinker all the
smoothness, sweet vanilla aromas and citrus finish of Auchentoshan
Classic, but with far more intensity. Two thousand cases of Valinch were
released, with 1,200 bottles coming to the U.S.

Also hailing from die south of Scotland is the GLENKINCHIE
10-YEAR-OLD SINGLE LOWLAND MALT. The 86 proof whisky is popular as a
before dinner dram and is at the heart of the Pinch 15-year-old blend,
primarily because of its light to medium body, and slightly sweet
flavor.

Located on a peninsula near the island of Islay, Campbeltown was
once considered Scotland's whisky capital. Where once more than 30
distilleries flourished, Springbank and Glen Scotia are the last
remaining entities. Springbank is the oldest, family-owned distillery in
Scotland. The family is involved in every stage of production--from the
cutting of peat to final bottling. The distillery's range of
handcrafted triple-distilled, lightly peated malts is awash with
choices. Its core releases are 46% alcohol and include bottlings at 10
years old, 15 years old and 18 year old.

Island Malts

Highland Park, from the island of Orkney, is the northernmost
distillery in the world. The microclimate of the isolated and wind-swept
island is dominated by the North Sea and North Atlantic. Its U.S.
portfolio includes 7 expressions of Single Orkney Malts--the standard
bearer 12 years old, 15 Years Old, the limited edition Highland Park
18-year-old, and the 25 year-old Highland Park. The latter is an
unfiltered, cask strength (96.2 proof) whisky made with several malts
over 35 years in age. The distillery's highly acclaimed Orcadian
series now features 3 vintage bottlings--1964, 1968 and 1970.

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ISLE OF JURA SUPERSTITION features a blend of finest peated
whiskies and older, traditionally finished malts stored in their
warehouses. The 86-proof spirit has a mahogany hue, velvety,
medium-weight body and generous nose of light peat, honey, cinnamon and
toffee.

The Isle of Skye is the home of famed Talisker, a smoky,
character-rich single malt aged a minimum 10 years. Talisker provides
the backbone of Johnnie Walker Red Label blend.

Of the Scottish islands, the malts distilled on Islay are most
renowned. LAPHROAIG SINGLE ISLAY MALT SCOTCH WHISKY enjoys international
celebrity because of its powerful, exuberant flavor. While not for the
faint of heart, Laphroaig malts offer aficionados a rare and singular
taste experience. Laphroaig's range includes the acclaimed
10-year-old, vigorous malt full of salt and smoke, 15-year, 30-year and
40-year-old malts. Even sleeping one can discern that these superb
whiskies were distilled on Islay. New to the range is LAPHROAIG TRIPLE
WOOD, a rare quarter cask expression. The first maturation takes place
in American ex-bourbon barrels. It is then transferred into small 19th
century style Quarter Casks for a second maturation The final maturation
is in specially selected, large European oak, Oloroso sherry casks. The
flavor profile includes a subtle sherry sweetness along with vanilla and
nutty notes, as well as the signature peaty element.

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The Ardbeg distillery is one of the oldest, smallest distilleries
in Scotland. ARDBEG SINGLE ISLAY MALT is a bold and robust whisky with
the distinction of being the most heavily peated single malt. It is aged
for 10 years in seasoned American oak casks, bottled at 92 proof and
imported by Brown-Forman.

ROBERT PLOTKIN is a judge at the San Francisco World Spirits
Competition and author of 16 hooks on bartending and beverage management
including Secrets Revealed of America's Greatest Cocktails. He can
be reached at www.AmericanCocktails.com or by e-mail at
robert@barmedia.com.

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